During the General Debate of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) of the 81st UN General Assembly held at the UN Headquarters in New York on October 8, local time, South Korea's Ambassador to the UN Cha Jihoon stated that the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on September 21 "has been confirmed to have been caused by landmines deliberately planted by North Korean troops south of the Military Demarcation Line," calling it "a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement."

Ambassador Cha continued, "We urge North Korea to halt such acts that escalate tension, make a public apology, and take responsible measures," calling on Pyongyang to engage in dialogue to ease tensions and restore trust on the Korean Peninsula.

In response, a North Korean representative claimed, "The 'landmine explosion incident' mentioned by South Korea is an insidious, disruptive act aimed at portraying our fortification of the southern border area—a legitimate exercise of sovereignty—as military aggression."

The representative further condemned it as nothing more than a "clumsy ploy" by the South Korean military to shift its own responsibility onto the North.

North Korea also directly mentioned South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young by name, claiming that even a South Korean official remarked to the effect that it is difficult to conclude the landmine explosion was an intentional attack by North Korea.

Minister Chung had stated the previous day during a parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Unification by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee that the North Korean landmine blast "cannot yet be specified as an attack."

The North Korean side added that it resolutely rejects South Korea's claims and will exercise its sovereignty more resolutely and boldly to ensure security in its southern border area.

(Photo: UN Web TV capture, Yonhap News)